


The More You Know

by skivvysupreme



Category: Glee
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mild Blood, Needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 05:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4168197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skivvysupreme/pseuds/skivvysupreme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt's got a routine doctor's appointment and a not-so-routine fear of needles. Luckily, Blaine's on hand to help distract him in any way he can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The More You Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trufflemores](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trufflemores/gifts).



> Nothing too graphic, if you have needle issues! I think this is as non-squirmy as a ficlet about that can get :)

Kurt hates hospitals so much.

Everything and everyone looks hideous under their harsh, fluorescent lighting. No one’s here for a happy reason, unless they’re in the maternity ward and everything goes well. And that sterile, antiseptic smell is, at this point in Kurt’s life, a smell he only associates with disease, injury, and death.

But, today, Kurt is not sick, hurt, or dying, and neither is the only person he knows in this hospital; his husband sits safe and sound next to him, flipping through the newest issue of _Time_ , keeping Kurt company until it’s time for his appointment.

Still, Kurt is not comforted. He’s getting blood work done today.

“Where the hell is the doctor? Don’t ask people to make appointments in the middle of their workday if you can’t be on time for it.”

“Kurt, your appointment is for one o’clock.”

“I’m aware.”

“Are you also aware it’s only 1:03?”

“Late is late,” Kurt mutters, crossing his legs.

Blaine tilts his head and closes the magazine, tossing it on the nearby table before he reaches for Kurt’s hand. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Well. No,” Kurt sighs, fiddling with his ring on his free hand.

“What is it?” Blaine asks, leaning closer. “It’s a routine physical, nothing to worry about. They’ll ask some questions, take some blood, and—“

Kurt winces, making a strangled, gurgly noise, and bites his bottom lip.

Blaine, because he is Blaine and this is his Kurt, notices. “Are you scared of getting blood drawn?”

“I am not scared! I just… don’t like needles.”

Kurt mumbles the last part, and Blaine coos and kisses his cheek. “Courage, baby. I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”

*****

Kurt enters the doctor’s office at 1:06. The question-and-answer portion goes smoothly, and just as he promised, Blaine hovers at a comforting distance while staying out of the way of the exam, offering Kurt reassuring smiles and soothing touches when he can. Kurt seems okay during most of his appointment, but when the cheerful, curly-haired nurse brandishes a large needle and a test tube, his posture goes stiff and he looks away, his face twisting in discomfort.

"Shhh, sweetheart, it's okay. It'll be over before you know it," Blaine says, standing next to Kurt and placing a hand on the arm that isn't about to be stabbed with the syringe.

"I seriously doubt that, Blaine," Kurt spits through gritted teeth, still resolutely not looking at the nurse.

The nurse clicks her tongue and makes a sympathetic noise. "Oh, sounds like someone's scared of needles?"

Kurt whips his head around to glare at the nurse with as much contempt as he can muster, hissing, "I am not _scared_ , I just—oh, oh god, it's so big." His breath leaves him in a whimper and suddenly he can't take his eyes off the needle.

"That's what he said," Blaine jokes, surprising Kurt into an incredulous snort.

"Blaine, you are a grown man."

The nurse lights up at the way Kurt's body suddenly loosens as he looks at Blaine, clearly having forgotten what's happening for a second. "That’s good, Blaine, keep distracting him. That’ll help this go much smoother,” she says softly, cleaning Kurt’s arm around the inside of his elbow.

Kurt jumps at the feel of the cold cleansing wipe, instinctively pulling his arm back towards himself before extending it again. “Sorry,” he says tightly, wincing at the nurse.

“Kurt, I need you to stay still for the needle, okay? I don’t want to miss the vein or prick you unnecessarily.”

He nods, swallowing hard, and turns to Blaine. Kurt’s face is getting hot and he feels like he’s on the verge of tears, both in anxiety and in embarrassment at that anxiety. He doesn’t even know when this started for him, only that needles hurt and feel weird under his skin and give him a queasy feeling deep in his gut that he’s never been able to prevent. The tattoo on his back had only been okay because the buzzing noise of the machine seemed to drown out his nerves. “Just—Blaine, can you keep talking?”

Blaine steps as close as he can, rubbing up and down Kurt’s free arm and interlocking their fingers. Kurt rests his cheek on Blaine’s shoulder and closes his eyes.

“Kurt, baby, did you know that if there were one million, two hundred thousand mosquitoes and they all landed on you and sucked at once, they could completely drain your body?”

“What?”

Blaine watches the needle enter Kurt’s arm as Kurt lifts his head and stares at him, an odd look on his face somewhere between alarm and revulsion. Kurt makes a sharp intake of breath at the puncture, but doesn’t react otherwise, as if he’s not even aware of his body’s reflex. So, Blaine keeps talking.

“It’s true. And that’d have to be a million _female_ mosquitoes. They’re the ones who suck blood because they need it for their eggs. It’s a ‘Circle of Life’ thing, Kurt, isn’t that beautiful?”

Kurt shakes his head in disgust. “Blaine, this is gross, why are you— _ungh_ , I hate this part, that pulling feeling, that’s always so weird—“

“Did you know,” Blaine continues, “that a red blood cell can make a round-trip in your body in about thirty seconds? Thirty seconds to get through the entire thing! And the heart’s pumping like, two whole quarts of blood in half a minute. The human body is amazing.”

Kurt groans, burying his face in Blaine’s shoulder again. “Well I think mine must be pumping more than that right now, Blaine, please, I don’t need this—”

The little tube at the end of the needle is nearly full. The nurse grins and nods at Blaine, staying as still as she can so that Kurt doesn’t notice.

“And your blood is brighter red when there’s more oxygen in it. That’s why it looks so dark it’s almost blue under your skin. So when it’s spilling out of you for whatever reason and it hits the air, it goes all Tarantino.”

Kurt makes a frustrated grunting noise as he presses his face into Blaine’s shirt and squeezes his hand. He’s not trembling anymore, and his face has taken on that calm, icy, arched-eyebrow mask he wears when he is very deeply annoyed. All his focus is concentrated on how much Blaine’s pissing him off. “I’m canceling the Science Channel when we get home, I swear, Blaine, stop it—”

“Oh! You know what’s cool? There are a hundred thousand _miles_ of blood vessels in your body. If we took your veins and arteries out and stretched them flat, they could circle the planet four times!”

“Oh god, you’re not helping, you’re not helping, _you are not fucking helping_ —”

“All done!” The nurse announces brightly, lifting the tube of Kurt’s blood in the air triumphantly as she makes one final, gentle press at the gauzy little bandage covering her work.

“What?” Kurt turns and looks at his arm in shock. “But—when did you take the needle out?”

She beams at Blaine. “Sometime during the explanation of red blood cell oxygenation. Blaine, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about becoming a doctor, but you would have made an amazing pediatrician.”

Kurt wants to smack the smug grin off Blaine’s face. “Don’t encourage him,” he mumbles, trying to generate more resentment than he feels at his husband’s bizarre yet successful distraction techniques.

Blaine kisses his cheek, targeting the dimple forcing its way onto Kurt’s face as he tries not to smile. “You didn’t feel a thing, not more than you absolutely had to. Admit it.”

“I admit nothing,” Kurt replies lightly, lifting his chin in the air and watching the nurse store his blood sample. “I acknowledge that I married a complete nerd, but that’s all.”

Blaine laughs, turning Kurt’s face towards him so he can kiss him, sweet and quick, on the lips. He can see the nurse grinning at them in the corner of his eye, even as she’s trying not to be obvious about watching them. “You did so well, baby. My husband is so brave, kicking his fear’s ass like this. You totally could have done this without me.”

Kurt’s quiet for a moment as he pulls both of Blaine’s hands into his lap. “I could probably do a lot of things without you, but… I’m glad I don’t always have to.”


End file.
